Originally Posted by
Tallest Skil 
I don't like the "oh, hey, you no longer get to have access to this service and there's absolutely nothing you can do about it" system.
They can add and remove things without our say-so. Happily iOS (proper) and OS X don't work like that. Makes me think that the Apple TV doesn't really run a true iOS, you know? More like a "website", like within the iTunes Store app. I don't like that either, but that's a different topic.
I'm in general agreement with you on the overall philosophy. I'm not interested in an Apple TV in its current state (except possibly if it was jailbroken and used merely as part of a convenient conduit to send media I own to the big screen from other devices that I own). The thing is, people need to not think of it as a device, but as part of a service. Just like the Kindle Fire, which isn't really a tablet you own as much as it's a conduit to purchase and use Amazon data/apps. I'm interested in buying and owning stuff, not paying for services.
In any case, I'm not as pleased with iOS as you are because it has a lot of the "absolutely nothing you can do about it" symptoms as well. With a "real" computer you can install firewalls to block unwanted activity (phoning home is rampant on iOS), but iOS doesn't allow it. Firewall.IP does this, but you need to jailbreak and it's actually cumbersome to purchase even if you want to. I feel somewhat helpless when using iOS and need to resort to harsh behavioral protocol just to maintain the tiniest bit of control (airplane mode often, WiFi only when necessary, etc.).
Even MacOSX itself it trending this direction with the Mac App Store. It's not there yet, and it does bring some benefits, but over time we are losing control of our devices.